


To Settle Matters, Once And For All

by afteriwake



Series: All Of Time And Space [28]
Category: Doctor Who, Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Big Bang Challenge, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-01
Updated: 2012-09-01
Packaged: 2017-11-13 07:32:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/501015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Amelia's brainwashed ex tries to break into 221B Baker St, Sherlock realizes that the threat to his family wasn't quite as taken care of as he thought. With the help of the Doctor and some friends he deals with the Silence once and for all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is a re-write of the Doctor Who episodes “The Impossible Astronaut” and "Day of the Moon," with a Wholock twist. Many thanks to my beta **lotl101** for all the helpful corrections and my artist **trickster88** for the wonderful art.

“No, but we aren’t _having_ a big wedding.” Amy was on the phone with her aunt, and had been for the last twenty minutes, arguing about the same thing they had been arguing about since her engagement was known. “I appreciate the advice but really, we just want it small. Family and friends, small civil ceremony.” She looked at Sherlock, who was watching with a bemused look on his face and glared. “You know, you don’t have to come if my not having a—“ She paused. “Hello? Aunt Sharon?” She then hung up the phone in disgust. “She hung up on me!”

“Alienating your only close family is probably not a good idea,” he said.

“You do it to Mycroft all the time,” she pointed out, flopping onto the couch next to him.

“But he’s my brother. He wasn’t the one who raised me.” He watched her cross her arms. “You’re getting it from all fronts, aren’t you?”

She nodded and sighed. “My agent and everyone involved wants me to have a big fancy wedding so they can sell the photography rights. Aunt Sharon wants a huge wedding so she can show off to everyone in Leadworth. And my friends are all clamoring over who’s going to be my maid of honor.“

“We could elope,” he suggested.

She shook her head. “I’ve had it in my head that I was going to get married in a real wedding ceremony with flowers and the whole bit since I was a little girl. I want to do it, it’s just…” She sighed again. “I don’t know.”

“Then give them what they want.” She turned to look at him, surprised. “If you want the elaborate wedding as much as they do, then I’ll put up with all the fuss for it. But that’s only if you truly want to, and I’m rather hoping you don’t.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” he said. “But don’t expect any help from me in planning this. It’s your big event, and I’m just going to do what you tell me to do.”

“There are a few things you were going to have to help with anyway, when we were planning before.”

“That was just what to eat,” he replied. “I have one friend to invite, and my brother. That’s it for my guest list, and you can seat them wherever you want.” He reached over for the sheet of paper he’d been reading before her phone call had distracted him. “Preferably you will put as much distance between myself and Mycroft as humanly possible. If I don’t invite him I’ll never hear the end of it, but he doesn’t need a place of honor.”

“Then I’ll just get John to help.”

“He’ll be thrilled,” he replied without looking at her.

“There has to be at least two other men you want standing with you,” she replied.

“Not really, no,” he said.

“You could always ask Greg,” she said thoughtfully.

“I can tolerate him, I suppose,” he said after a moment’s thought.

“And Anderson,” she added wickedly.

The paper went down quickly. “You had best not seriously be considering him. I’d make it a point to be a runaway groom if you put that plan into motion.”

She burst into laughter. “Oh, God no. If I don’t have to invite him that would be great. The last time I had to be in the same room with him he kept leering at me. Sally I can stand, but he gives me the creeps. No, I was thinking the Doctor.”

He thought about it. “If it wasn’t for him we probably would not be together,” he mused. “I suppose if part of repaying that debt is allowing him to stand by me at the wedding it’s a good idea.”

“Excellent!” she said. “John’s going to hopefully help plan, and the Doctor’s already said he’ll do whatever we want for the wedding, so all that’s left is for you to ask Greg to be a groomsman.”

He grimaced and went back to his sheet of paper, which was notes from an open case that John had taken when he’d done an interview. “Is there any chance I could avoid that particular conversation?”

“Nope, not a one.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Be convincing. I already have my three attendants picked out.”

“Who?” he asked.

“Mels, Lorna and Bethany.”

“You’re inviting Melody?” he asked, raising an eyebrow, turning back to her. “I assume you mean that hellion friend of yours and not our daughter.”

She nodded. “She’s the only person from Leadworth that I’ve really kept in contact with, and she’s my best friend.”

“I’m surprised she’s not in jail.”

“She’s changed, somewhat.”

“You had best include a warning about her in the invitations to the single men, then,” he replied.

“She’s not—“ She stopped at the intense look he gave her. “All right, you have a point. I’ll tell her to behave.”

“It might be a bit awkward for her, though,” he replied.

“Oh?” she said. “And why is that?”

“She once tried her seduction techniques on me. I believe I was the first man she’d met to refuse them. And you saw what happened the last time I went to Leadworth. She and I don’t get along.”

“She tried to seduce you on a bet,” she said with a grin. “If she hadn’t told us how badly it went there would have been more attempts. I don’t know how it happened, but every girl in my class wanted to get in your pants when we were seventeen. Mels was the only one who actually came to London to try. It all had to do with your last visit home.”

“And just think, only you were successful,” he said, going back to his paper again.

“Now I kind of want to invite them all and gloat,” she said thoughtfully.

“That’s bad form, and even I know that,” he said. “Besides, if they’re still gossips they read the tabloids, and pictures of us have been splashed on them for months. They already know.”

“I know,” she said with a smile. “I’m just teasing.”

“How many changes to the things that you’ve already planned will you need to make?”

“Not many,” she relied. “I haven’t actually paid for anything yet, except where we were having the reception, and they can open more of it up for us if the guest list gets bigger. I just need to pay a bit more. I’ll go make the call now.” She reached for her phone and stood up again, moving away to make the call.

He lowered the paper and watched her for a moment. He knew exactly why he was agreeing to this entire headache, and that was because it would make her happy. When he was searching for her in the month he knew she had been kidnapped he told himself he would do whatever it took to make her happy. He hadn’t even added the “within reason” addendum to it, which was unusual for him. But she was that important to him. He wouldn’t tell her all this, because he was sure she’d already figured it out, but that was how things stood between them.

The crying of a baby brought him out of his thoughts, and he put his paper aside and went to his daughter, beating Amy there by a full minute; she gave him a grateful look and continued her conversation on the phone while he paid attention to Melody. He vehemently refused to do the baby talk that Amy liked to do. If he ended up speaking to comfort his daughter, which happened more frequently when they found his baritone lulled her back to sleep faster than her mother’s voice, it would be as though he was having a conversation with someone who was not as intelligent as him and couldn’t answer back. He had already bored his daughter back to sleep with the results of his latest experiment earlier in the day, and he wasn’t sure what to talk about now.

“Your mother is going to force me to go through with a big wedding,” he said as he checked her, deciding to describe the situation at hand, and she started to calm down. “I’m going to let her because it’s what she wants.” After a moment he realized she needed to be changed, so he moved her over to the changing table. “I hope that when you get old enough to marry you just elope. I don’t want to go through this more than once.” He paused. “Never mind. If you get married I won’t be able to attend anyway. Promise me you put the Doctor through this hell. Force him to give you the grandest wedding of whatever century it is you get married. And remember not to send us a bill.” 

She smiled at that, and he found himself smiling slightly back even though he knew she had no idea what he was saying yet. Or perhaps she did; no one had quite told them what it meant to have a Time Lord for a child. Perhaps she _did_ understand. At any rate, this was another female who was bound to have him wrapped around her finger. He was not going to tell her that in any event. He finished changing her when Amy came back into the room, having finished her phone call. “Hello,” she said brightly to Melody, smiling widely. She looked at Sherlock, who nodded, and she went to pick her daughter up. She twirled her around for a moment as Melody smiled. “I don’t think she’s going to go back to sleep,” she said.

“Probably not,” he replied.

“I’ll keep her company. You go back to your notes,” she said, not looking up from Melody.

“Actually, I need to go meet with John. There are a few things I need to know that he didn’t ask.”

“All right. We’ll be here waiting.”

He gave both of them a quick kiss, Melody on the forehead and Amy on the lips, and then went out of the room and grabbed his coat and scarf. It was good being back at 221B Baker St, he realized. They had only been there completely for two weeks now, but they were settled and things had begun to get into a routine. Amy had taken one modeling job since she returned, and there had been a photo session with her and Melody since she wanted pictures. As far as he knew the press had been satisfied with the two pictures from that shoot that Amy released. The paparazzi were being respectful of her request not to photograph her child, at least.

Of course, they were still staked outside the residence. He opened the door and heard a groan from two of them nearby. He smiled slightly. Pictures of just him did not sell, thankfully, and they all knew not to bother him when he was by himself. A few were rather helpful sometimes in exchange for a tiny tidbit of news. One or two had agreed to help with cases, and others knew that when he left he’d want a picture of anyone going to the flat that wasn’t Mrs. Hudson, John, Lestrade, the Doctor or anyone with them. One of the latter, George, had already hailed a cab for him. “Any news on the wedding?” he asked as he opened the door for Sherlock.

He shook his head. “Not today. She’s still making plans. It will be bigger than originally thought, if that’s newsworthy.”

“It could be,” he said with a slight grin. “Thanks.”

“Keep an eye on them?”

“Will do,” he replied with a nod.

Sherlock got into the cab and gave them Amelia’s old address. John had said he would be home today finishing unpacking, so it shouldn’t be an inconvenience for John to accompany him. Amy had left quite a few of the decorations there, since she said they didn’t feel right at Sherlock’s flat, and he had seemed pleased by that. He was just glad that Amy had kept his home looking much the same, with the exception of their bedroom. He didn’t mind most of the changes, but he had put his foot down on anything with a floral pattern. She was surprisingly okay with it, possibly because she filled up Melody’s room with them.

It didn’t take long to get there, and he bounded up to the door and knocked. John was there in less than two minutes, confused look on his face. He put his hand up when he opened the door, and he saw that John was on the phone. “I’ve never done that before,” he said as he moved out of the way for Sherlock to come in, and he surmised it was Amy on the phone. “Well, yes, sure, I’ll help.” Then he looked at Sherlock. “He did, did he? I’m not surprised.” Sherlock smirked slightly; he knew what part of the story they were at now. “All right. I’ll be by tomorrow morning.” He paused. “Dinner? No, I didn’t have plans, except Sherlock’s here and I don’t know what his are.”

“We’ll be there,” he said loud enough to be heard by her.

“As he said, we’ll be there.” Another pause. “All right. See you tonight.” He hung up and looked at Sherlock. “Whose idea was it for me to help with the wedding?”

“Hers,” he said. John looked skeptical. “Be happy. She wants me to ask Lestrade to be in the wedding party.”

“Are you going to do it?”

“He’s a better choice than my brother,” he replied.

“That’s true,” John agreed with a nod. “Do you think he’ll agree?”

“Haven’t the slightest idea,” he said with a slight shrug. “We need to ask Jay Kearney some more questions.”

“I asked everything we went over.”

“I know, but something is missing. His answers seem a little too tailored to one person being there, and we know from Robyn Taylor that there were, in fact, two men there. He acknowledges there were two men but only keeps talking about one, and with those questions he should have been talking about both men. He’s hiding something.”

John nodded. “Then we should definitely go back to him.”

Sherlock began to answer when his phone rang. He recognized it as the home line Amy had had installed when she moved in. “Yes, Amelia?”

“Someone just tried to break in. I was in the bedroom with Melody when I heard a thud on the front door so I locked the bedroom door and called you.”

“Call Lestrade. I’ll be back as soon as possible. Lestrade will probably send someone before I get there. Don’t answer the door for anyone other than the police or me, understand?”

“Yes.”

He hung up and looked at John. “Someone tried to break in.”

“Wouldn’t the paparazzi scare them off?” He asked, grabbing his coat.

“Normally, yes. That’s the only reason I like having them around. But every once in a while they take a break. Normally not all at the same time but it has happened.” John shrugged his coat on and they left, case forgotten for the moment. Sherlock hailed a cab and they got in. He wanted to hurry and get home but knew the cabbie would not break the speed limit just because he was worried. When they arrived he saw a police car out front, and a policeman talking to some of the paparazzi. Sherlock found George. “Did you see anything?” he asked intently.

“I was coming back from getting a bite when he’d finished kicking the front door in. Stuck my head in and got his attention away before he got much farther inside. He pushed past me, but I managed to get a picture of the man. Sorry it’s not very good.” George pulled his camera out, pulled up the image and showed it to Sherlock. The man looked vaguely familiar, but the picture was blurry. “He was off in a hurry when I got it.”

“Print me a copy,” he replied, and George nodded. Sherlock and John went inside, and then he went to his flat. Amy was talking to a policeman, and to Sherlock’s surprise Lestrade was there too. He had warmed to Amy, he knew that much. Apparently someone trying to break in warranted his attention. “Lestrade.”

“Sherlock,” he replied. “Whoever was here broke the front door in by kicking it. Nothing we can use, I’m afraid.”

“I thought as much.”

“Amy’s okay, though. She’s a smart girl. I came because I figured she’d call you and you’d tell her not to answer the door to anyone except you and the police. She knows me, so I thought it would be wise if I came along. She was holding a fireplace poker just in case.” He paused. “I was worried this might be related to the case.”

“I may have made somebody nervous, but I don’t think they’d try to attack me at my home. Give me a day. I’ll know for sure.”

Lestrade nodded. “I can do that. But don’t repeat what happened with that man Moriarty. If he did do this and he’s the suspect we’re looking for in the murder, I want him alive and healthy to be tried for it.”

“I’ll leave him able to speak,” Sherlock said.

Lestrade looked at him and sighed. “Fine.”

Sherlock paused. “I have a personal question to ask.”

“Oh?” Lestrade said, surprised.

“I need a third person in the wedding party,’ he said quietly. “Amelia suggested I ask you.”

Lestrade looked stunned for a moment, then nodded slowly. “Oh. Yes. Yes, I can do that.”

“Good,” Sherlock said as the other policeman finished with Amy. She moved over to him and threw her arms around him, holding him tightly. He responded in kind. After Lestrade and the policeman left and John shut the door to the common room behind them he pulled back slightly. “You did very well.”

“I was terrified,” she said. “But I knew I had to keep Melody safe. And then he just stopped but I called you because it’s a big deal. Does this happen often?”

He shook his head. “Not often.”

“Good.” He could feel her shaking so he pulled away more and led her to the couch. “I could use a drink.”

“Brandy?” John said and she nodded. He went to go make her a drink.

Sherlock turned to her. “One of the paparazzi got a picture. It’s not good, but he seems vaguely familiar. I want you to have a look at it when I get the print.”

“All right,” she said.

They were quiet as John made the drink and brought it over. She took a sip, and then another. “Better?” John asked.

“Yes,” she said with a nod. She smiled up at him, and while it seemed just a little shaky it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. She turned back to Sherlock. “I called you and you didn’t get to do anything about your case. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” he replied. “We can go out in an hour or so.”

“You don’t need to stay that long. I’ll be fine.”

“I’m simply waiting around for the print,” he said with a slight smile. “I know you’ll be fine.”

She smiled at him, and this smile was firmer. “Good.”

John had sat down near them. “Did Melody go back to sleep?”

She shook her head. “No, but I put her in the crib so I could hold onto the fireplace poker. I should check.”

“I’ll do it,” Sherlock said. He got up and went into Melody’s room, finding his daughter drinking a bottle, completely unfazed. She dropped the bottle and smiled at her father, and he picked her and the bottle up, carrying her out to the others. “She’s fine.”

Amy held out her arms and Sherlock placed Melody in them, and then gave her the bottle. Amy finally seemed to completely relax, and for about forty-five minutes they all made small talk. Finally there was a knock on the door, and Sherlock went to answer it, seeing George on the other side. “I have the picture.”

“Thank you,” Sherlock replied, taking the picture. George took that as the sign it was and left, and Sherlock took the picture in to the others. He showed it to Amelia. “Do you recognize this man?”

She handed Melody to John and took the picture. Her eyes widened in shock. “Oh my God, that’s _Rory_!” she exclaimed. “I recognize the coat. I was there when he bought it. And he always wears those trainers to work.” She looked up. “Why would he try breaking in?”

“I don’t know, but I want to find out,” he said with a grimace. He had not considered Amy’s former fiancée any type of danger, so why this sudden act of aggressiveness had come over him he didn’t know. But he would be damned if he didn’t find out, and soon.


	2. Chapter 2

It didn’t take long for them to get Jay Kearney to admit that he was involved and to confess to his part in the crime as well as to whom the two masked men were, and Sherlock was thankful for that. He had not told Lestrade that he knew who had tried to break into his flat because he wanted to confront Rory Williams on his own. While criminals knew what he had done to Moriarty the general public did not, thanks to the excruciating pains that the government took to hush things up for the good of all involved, and as such Williams had no idea what he had brought on himself.

He gathered up as much information as he could. Rory had remained in Leadworth until a month prior, continuing to work at the hospital as a nurse. He had not been dating anybody local but had mentioned to his friends that there was a woman in London he had met when she was a patient and they were dating long distance. Then a month ago he packed everything up and moved to London, sharing a residence with a Greg Wilcox as a roommate.

Sherlock had paid the residence a visit the day after the attack on his home, but Wilcox had said he hadn’t seen Rory in three days, after his shift ended at the hospital they both worked at, and it looked as though he hadn’t been home since. Sherlock showed him the picture of Rory and Wilcox confirmed that was what he had been wearing when he’d left work that last evening he’d been seen. Wilcox gave him the name of Rory’s girlfriend, and both Sherlock and John stopped cold: Molly Hooper.

“Yeah, I remember her saying she had a new boyfriend,” John said after thinking for a few minutes when he and Sherlock got outside the residence. “Never met him, though.”

“What are the odds that Amelia’s ex-fiancée would begin dating someone who worked with me?” he murmured.

“But I can back up how they met,” he said, and Sherlock stopped. “She has family near Leadworth, went to visit them nine months ago and got pneumonia. Apparently she’d known her new boyfriend as children, but he’d always been interested in another girl, and when she went back as an adult he was single and they took notice of each other. I remember it because I knew you and Amy were from there and thought it might interest you. This might just be one giant coincidence, Sherlock.”

“One way to find out,” he said, pulling out his phone and dialing a familiar number.

It was answered after two rings. “Find him yet?” Amy asked.

“Not yet,” he replied. “Did you know a girl named Molly Hooper growing up?”

“Yeah,” she replied. “She was a quiet girl. Babysat most of the local kids, straight A student. She seemed to pay a lot of attention to Rory when we were kids. Why?”

“She’s his new girlfriend,” he said.

“He could have done worse,” she replied. “Isn’t she a doctor or something?”

“The pathologist at St. Bart’s that I work with.”

“Small world,” she replied.

“Too small.”

“Sherlock, go ask her if she’s seen him and I bet you’ll find she has and it’ll all work—“ She paused. “Hold on a moment, someone’s at the door.”

“Be careful,” he said, tensing.

“I’m grabbing the cricket bat this time,” she replied. There was a long pause, and then a squeal. “It’s just the Doctor and Lorna,” she said excitedly. 

“We’ll be there as soon as we go talk to Molly,” he replied, hanging up and relaxing a bit. “The Doctor and Lorna have arrived for a visit,” he said to John. “But yes, she knew her, and she said that Molly paid particular attention to Rory when they were younger.”

“It’s looking more like coincidence to me.”

“I don’t like coincidence. I think she’s at work today.”

“She should be,” he agreed.

“Then let’s pay her a visit.” It took about forty minutes to get to the hospital, and they were lucky that she wasn’t in the middle of an autopsy when they arrived. She gave John a warm smile and gave Sherlock a more quizzical look. “You usually only show up when I have a body,” she said to Sherlock. “I don’t have a body of yours right now, do I?”

“When was the last time you saw Rory Williams?” Sherlock asked after she and John had sat down in her office.

“Three days ago,” she said with a sigh. “We were supposed to have lunch yesterday but he didn’t show and he didn’t call. Greg hasn’t seen him either. We were going to go to the police and file a missing person’s report if we didn’t hear from him by tonight.”

“He tried to break into my home yesterday,” he replied.

Her eyes widened. “He wouldn’t do that!”

“I have photographic proof,” he replied, pulling out the photograph.

She looked at the picture closely, then at him, and then suddenly the quizzical look was replaced. “I can’t believe it. I don’t know why he’d do that. He was fine with you and Amy. I mean, when we first started dating he wasn’t, but I told him more about how you were now and he’d accepted it. I don’t understand.”

“He was fine with things?” he asked. “He was taking it well?”

“Rather well, considering. He’s moved on from her completely,” she said, holding up her left hand. On her ring finger was a ring, a solitary diamond on a white gold band. “He proposed last week. I said yes. I promised him I would show up at the altar. He got a good chuckle from that. He was surprised I said yes, actually, but then he got very happy.”

The dig at Amy irritated him, but he didn’t say anything about it. She probably hadn’t meant it as one. Instead he looked at her intently. “If you see him, I wish to speak with him.”

“Don’t hurt him,” Molly pleaded. “Whatever reason he had for it, I know it means he’s not himself.

“Neither Amelia nor my daughter were hurt, so all I’m going to do is deliver a warning. You know I knew him when he was a child, so he’ll take it to heart.” He looked at her intently, then clasped his hands together. “Do you want me to look for him? I’m going to make sure he knows I’m serious, but I’ll leave him unharmed.”

She nodded. “Yes, Sherlock. Please find him. Him disappearing and then trying to break into your flat, it’s just not him. I’m so worried.”

He nodded. “From everything you and Amy have told me, your fiancée is a smart man. Perhaps he was just overcome or something. I’ll look for him for you, and I’ll keep the fact you care for him in mind when I talk to him.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much,” she said with a nod.

Sherlock left, with John close behind them. They stayed quiet until they were outside the hospital and then John spoke up. “You scared her,” he said.

“She was already worried. I didn’t say that he could be dead, though it’s a possibility. Whatever it was that was going through his head he’s not himself, and he could have put himself in harm’s way,” he said grimly.

“I’m surprised you kept yourself in check with the altar comment,” he replied as they walked down the street, looking for a cab.

“I don’t think she meant it as a dig at Amy. Remember, she knows Amy’s reputation from Leadworth. I know she’s older than Amy, and probably thought she was just being her normal flighty self. And in the end she got the man she wanted.” He finally saw a cab coming and reached out to hail it. It stopped, and they got in. “Something doesn’t seem right, though. Why would he be so intent to break into my home if he’s asked another woman to marry him and she said yes? Even though I didn’t know him well I do know he doesn’t seem the type to go out for revenge. And why now? Why after another engagement?”

“Pride?” John suggested.

“But if it were pride he would come after me. After all, if Amelia were looked at by him as a prize, I snatched her out of his grasp, as far as he can tell. So why would he wait until after I had left to go in?”

“Just because Madame Kovarian’s gone doesn’t mean The Silence wouldn’t try again,” John said quietly, with a sense of hesitation.

Sherlock froze. He hadn’t considered that angle yet, mostly because he liked to think he put enough of a scare into the organization at Demon’s Run. But it was a good point, and more importantly it was a plausible point. If they got a hold of Rory they would most definitely wait until he had left, since he was the bigger threat. They’d managed to take his family before. They very well could again. “Damn. I wish there was a way I could speak to River,” he said quietly.

“Perhaps the Doctor could put you in touch?”

“Perhaps,” he said. “But she may cry off about crossing her time stream and then it would be no help.”

“Try, at least,” he said.

“If I can, I will,” he replied. They remained silent the rest of the way and got out at 221B Baker St. They ignored all the paparazzi, though Sherlock looked to see if George was there first and upon not seeing him headed straight for the door. They went to his home and were greeted by the sight of the Doctor sitting in John’s chair with a cup of tea and a small plate of Jammie Dodgers, and Amy and Lorna on the couch with Melody on Lorna’s lap.

Lorna looked very different out of a military uniform, and she had taken to wearing outfits that he swore had looked very similar to what Amy had worn when she traveled with the Doctor, only the skirts were longer. Her hair was down or braided behind her back most of the time, and she always wore a welcoming smile. Sherlock knew John was absolutely smitten with her, but he couldn’t perceive whether she realized it or not, though judging by the added warmth of her smile when she said hello to him he was thinking she might.

“Doctor, is there any way I could speak to River?” he asked by way of greeting.

He thought for a moment. “I suppose so. She’s told me that when she’s on the TARDIS that you can visit, so long as Melody isn’t with you. Is something wrong? Other than Rory Williams trying to break in.”

“It has to do with that. John brought up the possibility that the Silence might be up to their old tricks.”

The Doctor nodded. “Absolutely. She’s in the TARDIS right now, studying.”

“Can I come, too?” Amy asked, standing up. This Amy had not seen River since the day at the museum, where the baby version of her had been conceived.

He nodded. “Of course.”

“I’ll stay here with Melody,” Lorna replied.

“And I’ll keep an eye on them,” John replied.

“Good,” Sherlock said. “I propose we go now, while there’s only a small handful of paparazzi out there.”

“Good idea,” the Doctor replied. He set down his tea and food on the table while Amy went and got a coat, scarf and sunglasses. When they were all ready they stepped outside. For some reason the paparazzi didn’t notice them, and then he saw the Doctor had his sonic out. “Yes, I’m cheating,” he said with a smile in Sherlock’s general direction. They quickly made their way to the TARDIS, and he threw open the door, and then they walked down the corridor to the library. “River, we have company!” he called out.

“Tell them to go home,” came a reply from inside the library. The Doctor opened the door all the way and all Sherlock could see at the table was many stacks of books at least three feet high.

“It’s your parents,” he said gently.

River slowly peeked from around the large stack of books. Her hair was pulled back, and she had a pencil stuck behind her ear. “Hello, Dad. Mum,” she said with a cautious look on her face.

“Your mother would appreciate a hug,” Amy said with a smile, and River got up and obliged her mother, giving her a warm hug for several moments. When she pulled back Amy had tears in her eyes. “Oh, God, you’re going to be Mels all grown up, studying to be Professor Song.”

“I know,” River said, and her eyes were watery as well. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and grinned at Sherlock, going over and giving him a kiss on the cheek. “You’ve come to ask about what happens when I’m still a little babe in a bundle, haven’t you?” she asked him.

He nodded. “Can you tell me anything?”

“Your worst fears are right, but they don’t succeed. I’m not taken again, and they don’t try again until I regenerate the first time,” she said. “But that’s all I can tell you about it. Neither of you talk to me about it, not even when—“ She stopped herself. “Spoilers. Mustn’t give it away. It gets worse before it gets better, that’s all I can say.”

Sherlock nodded. “And your mother is all right?”

“Mummy’s _fine_ , Dad,” she said. “You’re the person the bad thing happens to.”

“I can handle that,” he said with another nod.

“Well, I can’t,” Amy replied. “Why does something bad have to happen? Can’t we prevent it?”

“I’m afraid not,” River said. “It has to happen. It’s what starts getting the Silence to back off, when they realize that Dad was serious at Demon’s Run.”

Amy sighed. “I hate that so much happens that we can’t change,” she said.

“I know,” she said. She hugged Amy again, and it struck Sherlock as strange, just for a moment, watching his grown daughter who no longer looked like them to be comforting her mother on something that hadn’t even happened yet. But this was the life he’d chosen, and he needed to get used to it. She looked at her father. “I believe the Doctor wants to have a word with you, by the way.”

“Oh?” he said, surprised.

“Yes. I believe I may have arrived a few days too late, but why on _Earth_ did you put the suggestion in your daughter’s head that she was to demand an extravagant wedding from me?”

He blinked, surprised. “I only told her that yesterday morning.”

“I know,” River said impishly. “I remember all of my timeline, from birth. I remember everything you tell me about all your experiments, I remember all the stories Mum tells me about her adventures with the Doctor, I remember every horrid thing my brother shouts at me and I shout back…I remember it all.”

“I will be sending you a partial bill,” the Doctor replied. “But that’s only because we’ve worked out a way you can attend.”

“It’s quite simple,” she replied. “Hire a babysitter and come without my infant self. I really don’t want to get married without my father giving me away.”

“After your wedding, of course, whenever that is,” the Doctor added hastily.

“I get to see you married after all?” Amy said, and there were new tears threatening to leak.

“Yes, of course,” she said with a smile. “The Doctor spoke in haste at Demon’s Run and this was the first time I’ve been on the TARDIS when he’s come to visit. Until my death, whenever that is, you can visit me here. We can plan ahead for these sorts of things.”

“This is probably the best news I’ve gotten all month,” Amy said with a smile. “Isn’t it?” she asked Sherlock.

He nodded. Deep down, he was glad for the news. It would make things easier for everyone. Then he looked over at the Doctor. “I hope you aren’t serious about the bill.”

He grinned. “No, I’m not. I am serious about doing it right, though, and River doesn’t seem to want a lot of pomp.”

“I’m not famous. I don’t need to make my wedding a spectacle,” she said with a smile. “A hand fasting did the trick in the other life. I don’t need much more in this one.”

“I’m going to have a word with Sherlock while you two catch up,” the Doctor said to them. The women nodded, and the Doctor inclined his head to the door. They stepped out into the hallway. “Are you looking for Rory?”

He nodded. “Yes. I want to have some words with him about this.”

“I would like to come with you. If the Silence is involved, perhaps I can learn more about them.”

“All right,” he replied. “I promised I would not hurt him.”

“I won’t harm him either. Hopefully I can help him. I don’t want anyone else used as a pawn in this game the Silence have got us trapped in.”

“Me either,” he replied.

“Hopefully whatever it is that has to happen won’t be too dire. At least you know you live through it.”

“Yes, but there is a lot a man can live through,” he pointed out.

“I know,” the Doctor replied, making a face. “I’m still hoping it’s not too bad. I don’t want to put Amy through anything horrific.”

“I don’t either.” Sherlock glanced into the library, where his fiancée and daughter were laughing over something. “Not after she just got good news like this.”

The Doctor looked as well, and then sighed. “I guess we’ll have to face it head on, then.”

“I suppose so,” he replied. He just hoped that whatever it was that was going to happen would happen soon. Knowing it was coming and there wasn’t anything he could do was hard enough. Having to endure a wait would be hell on earth.


	3. Chapter 3

When they got back to their home Amy was wearing a wide smile, despite the bad news they had also received. Sherlock almost wished he had been able to put that smile on her face, and knew that soon enough it would be gone when whatever bad thing was supposed to happen to him happened. He wished he could have asked for more information, but there probably wasn’t any to give and River wouldn’t have done it anyway in the interest of spoilers. The Doctor had given him a knowing look when he muttered about how stupid that was.

And as soon as Amy was settled back in it was time for the men to be off again, this time accompanied by the Doctor, in search of Rory Williams. He had not heard from Molly, so it made the search harder until, in frustration, they went aboard the TARDIS and used its resources. At one point River came in the console room to tease them about cheating, but the Doctor said any resource should be used and the TARDIS was the best. He watched the exchange with some amusement. It must be true that, at the very core of it all, women marry men much like their father, or at least he hoped that was the case. At least he believed he and the Doctor were quite similar in the important ways.

Finally he was located, in a train yard that looked all too familiar to Sherlock and John. “That’s where the code was,” John said after a moment.

“Perhaps they’re leaving him some sort of code there?” the Doctor said.

“There’s only one way to find out,” Sherlock said. “We need to get there, and quickly, before he leaves.”

The Doctor fiddled with the controls, and then went to the doors. They were nearby to where he had last been spotted, and as night was rapidly beginning to fall Sherlock was worried they may not catch him without torches. But just as he thought it the Doctor went back to the console and held up two of them, and then went to the other men and handed them each one. John gave him a look and he held up his sonic screwdriver. And out they went.

They parted ways near the wall, and Sherlock went around to the tracks. He looked into the shadows and saw one move. He flashed the beam of light in his hand at it but it moved again, and he gave chase. He was faster than the runner, and he tackled him after a few minutes. He lifted up slightly to look at the runner and saw it was Rory Williams. “There you are,” he said, standing up and then hauling Rory up. Rory had a blank look on his face. Sherlock couldn’t see it too clearly since he had dropped the torch when he tackled him. He snapped his fingers in front of his face and Rory didn’t even blink. He grabbed him by the arm and pulled, and Rory nearly fell forward.

He was going to ask a question when he heard the first gunshot and saw Rory spin slightly. Before he could duck he felt a cold sensation in his gut that soon felt like burning fire as a second shot echoed and he fell to his knees. He knew he needed to fake playing dead if he had any hope of living while trying to stop the flow of blood. He fell to his side and pressed his fist to the wound and lay as still as possible. He couldn’t see anything, but he could hear footsteps. He heard them approach, and then he felt a foot kick him not far above where he had been shot.

He grabbed his attacker’s foot and pulled, knowing it would throw him off balance. The attacker fell backward, and kicked at Sherlock. He held on and used it to hold his attacker in place. Even though he got kicked in the shoulder he held on, and leveraged himself up a bit. The next time his attacker went to kick at Sherlock he reached up, grabbed him between the legs, and pulled. The man stopped kicking and curled into a fetal position as Sherlock felt his strength start to ebb.

There were more footsteps and he saw lights. “Sherlock!” the Doctor yelled. He got to him first, shining a light on the three of them. “Are you hit?”

“Yes,” he said, and then things started to get blurry. “In the gut. Williams got hit too.”

“Rory’s is a flesh wound,” he could hear John say. The attacker started whimpering and he could just barely see someone kick the attacker in the gut before it all went black.

He had no clue how long he was out when his body started to wake up. He didn’t feel as though he was in pain, and he marveled at that for a moment. He could feel warmth on his arm and wondered what on earth it could be. Had Amy gotten a pet without telling him? His mind was foggy and he found he absolutely hated this feeling, but as his eyes fluttered open the first thing he saw was the Doctor pacing by his feet. He was in a bed he didn’t recognize. “Where…?” he got out weakly.

“Amy,” he could hear John say. He felt the weight on his arm move and he turned, seeing Amy resting her head on the side of his bed. A hospital bed, so at least that was one question answered. She lifted her head up and looked at him, and he got a brilliant smile similar to the one she’d worn coming back from the visit with River as she looked him in the eyes. At least that answered the question he’d had before he left home: getting shot and surviving would bring a smile like that to her face.

“Hello,” she said quietly, getting off her chair and standing up, then leaning over and kissing his forehead softly. “You’ve been out for ten hours. They…they almost lost you, but you pulled through.” He got a close look at her and saw she’d been crying. There were fresh tears threatening to leak. Her hand was near his and he reached over for it. His grasp was weak but hers was strong.

“Rory is fine, just shot in the arm” the Doctor said. “He doesn’t remember anything. He was brainwashed somehow. You just interfered with his execution. You saved his life by moving him when you did.”

“Good deeds…” he murmured, and John grinned a bit at that. “What about the shooter?”

“The Silence got to him,” the Doctor replied somberly. “His eye patch fried his brain.”

“Where’s Melody?”

“On the TARDIS with Lorna,” Amy said. “River left so we could take her somewhere safe. I didn’t want to bring her here. Too many people around.”

“Wise choice,” he said his eyes fluttering closed again. It seemed too much effort to stay awake all of a sudden, so he drifted back to sleep, but not before he felt a larger weight settle next to him. He could recognize the feel of Amy sitting next to him on the bed, and when she grasped his hand he held it tight. He slept again for a while, and when he woke the next time his head felt slightly clearer. Amy had gotten up and left at some point, and the only one in the room was John. “Where’s Amy?”

“You’ve been out another three hours. The Doctor is making her get some food and coffee,” he said from the chair next to the bed. Then he grinned. “The doctor, the medical one, told her to get off the bed about a half hour after you went back to sleep and she tore into him. They almost didn’t let her in in the first place until one of the nurses said it was in all the tabloids that you two were engaged. She forced them to let us stay, too.”

“Sometimes the tabloids are good for something,” he said, shifting. He felt fire in his gut and winced. He’d been shot before, just not there, and he hadn’t imagined it would hurt so much. “How bad was it?”

“Bad,” he said. “The bullet was lodged in your spine, having ripped through your internal organs to get there. There was heavy bleeding, and the doctors were worried you might have spinal damage.”

He moved his toes and was relieved that he could feel them. “I’m not paralyzed,” he said.

“You may have back pain for a while, though,” he warned. “No heavy lifting, no strenuous activity. Personally I wouldn’t recommend you deal with Melody until you’re a hundred percent healed. She’s light, but she squirms. Twist the wrong way and you could be in a lot of pain.”

“Wonderful news,” he said sourly. “I suppose I’ll have to rest for a while?”

He nodded. 

“Who got the case?” he asked.

“Lestrade. He’s already been by. He has questions, but he was also worried. I answered as many as I could from what I observed when I got there. Your shooter died in front of the paramedics, so at least we didn’t have to explain that death. It’s up to the investigators to do that.”

“I’m going to be driven up the wall,” he said, looking up at the ceiling with a sigh.

“I can make life interesting,” he heard Amy say from the door. When he turned to look at her she had a slight smirk on her face and was sporting a rather mischievous glint in her eyes. “I volunteered to go collecting facts on cases that you could work from home.”

“I vetoed it,” John said.

“Good man,” Sherlock murmured, and then he grinned slightly as Amy smacked John’s shoulder.

“I’d be a big help,” she said with a mock pout. “But anyway, John said I couldn’t. I’m to play nurse.”

“You’ll hate me for a patient,” he said.

“Well, this will be the first true test of our relationship,” she said.

“I thought rescuing you from an asteroid was,” he pointed out.

“Oh no. That wasn’t a test, that was expected,” she said. “We’ll see if we can tackle the ‘for worse’ and ‘in sickness’ parts of our vows now.”

“I don’t even want to think about the wedding,” he said with a groan. “Promise me you won’t force me to.”

She chuckled. “I was kind of thinking we should just elope, and then have a big celebration later and then I can wear the dress and there can be photographs of that for my agent to sell to the public. They don’t need to see us speaking vows. They just want the pretty dress and the tux and the fun stuff.”

He looked at her closely. “I thought you wanted the big fancy wedding.”

“What I care more about is being your wife,” she said softly, staring at him intently. “I want to get married sooner than later, and if you’re not up to a big wedding I don’t want to force it on you.”

“How soon is soon?” he asked.

“Whenever you’re able to,” she said. “All we need is to register, have someone to do the ceremony and the rings. If you trust my taste in rings, I can get those at any point.”

“Then why wait?” he replied.

“You want to get married in the hospital?” John asked, raising an eyebrow. “That won’t work. There’s registration and all sorts of other details.”

“How long am I supposed to stay in here?” he asked.

“Two weeks at minimum,” he replied. “They want to monitor you for a bit because of the bullet being lodged in your spine.”

“Then register today, I’ll stay here for as long as they say and if it’s in the timespan that I’m hospitalized we’ll do the civil ceremony here. If I’m discharged we can just get it done elsewhere. It’s not as though I’m able to leave the hospital right now, correct?”

“Yes,” John said. “It would be going against doctor’s orders.”

“Then there you have it. What day is it today?”

“A Monday,” Amy replied. “And it’s still morning. I’ll go take care of registering it now, if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t.” She leaned over and this time gave him a proper kiss before she grabbed her handbag. He watched the Doctor get to the doorway as she lifted it up. “I’m getting married in two weeks.”

“Ah, the old ‘you almost died so we’re going to make it legal as soon as possible’ thing, eh?” he said with a grin.

“Exactly,” Amy replied. “I’m registering it as soon as I can get to where I need to go.” She paused. “Where is that?”

“Register Office,” Sherlock called over.

“I’m glad I left that part of the planning to you,” she said with a smile. “See you soon, boys.” And with that she was gone.

The Doctor came over to his bed. “You have another reason for wanting her gone,” he said shrewdly.

“I want to make it very clear to the Silence that I will not tolerate any more of their attempts to meddle with my family,” he said. “I want to know exactly how to make the biggest impact on them that I can make.”

“We still don’t know enough about their organization,” he said with a frown.

“Then we need to do more research, talk to more people. There must be some way to hit them where it hurts.” He sat up slightly and immediately regretted it, going back to his former position. “I want this to be the last time they interfere with the people I care most about.”

“There may be a way,” the Doctor said thoughtfully. “There was a call I received before my death, a distress signal, and it might be related. I’d need help.”

“As soon as I’m physically able,” Sherlock replied.

“I’ll help as well,” John said.

“And I’m sure Lorna will too,” the Doctor replied. “It could be dangerous, though. Perhaps Amy and Melody should stay aboard the TARDIS, to be safe.”

“I don’t see why Amy wouldn’t agree to that,” Sherlock said after thinking a moment.

“Then it’s settled. Sherlock, get better quickly. I’ll drop Lorna and Melody off at your flat and she can stay to help out since she already volunteered, and I’ll come back in two weeks for the vows, but for now, I have to prepare.” The Doctor gave them a nod and a wave, and then he was off. 

John looked at Sherlock. “I’m wondering how you’re going to convince Amy to let you go off and do something dangerous after this.”

“I have to. If we don’t want to be looking over our shoulders for the next twenty years, this is what I need to do.” He started to move again, more slowly this time, until he was sitting up more. It hurt, but he could deal with the pain. “I don’t want any more pain medication. At least not narcotics or anything that will put me to sleep. I need to think.”

“You can ring for the doctor by pressing the button above your head,” John said. Sherlock pressed it. “Shouldn’t take long. After all, you being here is a big deal.”

Sherlock’s eyes widened slightly. “Paparazzi all over the place?”

“Camped out outside. If Amy’s smart she’s telling them exactly what she’s doing so she can come back and forth with less attention.”

“Go with her from now on. You or Lorna, whichever will look less conspicuous.” He shut his eyes and shifted again. Being in this bed was going to drive him mad. “Make sure Melody is never left alone.”

“I can do that,” he said with a nod as the doctor came in. Sherlock explained, and then reiterated, and then finally loudly argued for no more pain medication that would cause him to pass out. Finally the doctor, who had clearly been argued with by others much more insistently before, went to go get a form for him to sign. John was just trying not to laugh. After the doctor came and he signed the form John let loose and Sherlock glared. “I’m sorry, that was just too funny,” he replied.

“I find out I’ve been given morphine again and it will not be a pleasant sight,” he said darkly. “I’m a recovering addict. I need to have it on file someplace, I think.”

“You’re very lucky to be alive,” John said, sobering up. “You lost a lot of blood struggling with the shooter. “

“And it was for nothing, too,” he said with a sigh. “The Silence does not tolerate failure.”

“You don’t either,” he pointed out.

“Yes, but I don’t kill the people who fail me because if I did most of Scotland Yard would be dead.”

“And Molly?”

He thought for a moment. “I’d probably spare her. At least she’s useful. Anderson would be first on the list, though.”

“He was at the scene.” Sherlock grimaced. “I think he was half hoping you did die. He kept exclaiming that there was ‘so much blood’ there.”

“I just hope he dies first,” he grumbled. “I know that is a funeral I will pointedly avoid.”

There was a knock at the door and Sherlock and John turned to see Lestrade was there. “You’re awake,” he said.

Sherlock bit back the first reply to come to mind. Lestrade actually looked worried and he found he didn’t want to alienate those who actually felt something more than ambivalence or disgust towards him. “Yes,” he said. “I’ve been awake for a little while now.”

“I had some questions. Ran into Amy on the way out, she told me you were up.” He stepped into the room. “John already told me you were going after the man who tried to break in. I can imagine why you didn’t want to tell me.”

“He was Amelia’s ex-fiancée, and Molly Hooper’s current fiancée, and out of respect to them I didn’t want the police involved any more than they already were. Too much press,” he said, lying through his teeth.

“Well, he’d been detained for it, but seeing as he has no memory of the events we’re letting him go. He’s branded you a hero, though, for saving him.”

“That’s good,” he replied, though honestly he didn’t really care.

“How did you track him down?” he asked.

“I used my network of informants, mostly the homeless people. One of them said he had been wandering around there, so John and I took a look.”

“No one else?” he asked.

“Another acquaintance, but I don’t believe he would particularly want to be questioned by police. He’s someone I go to for information.”

Lestrade nodded. “You were shot first or second?”

“Second,” he replied. “Williams was shot first.”

Lestrade nodded again, and then sighed. “With the shooter dead there isn’t much more I can do with the case, and the government has come to claim his body. Do you know what that’s about?”

He shook his head. “My brother might, but I doubt he’d tell me.”

“It’s just as well, I suppose. This is one of the types of cases I’d normally ask you to work.” He looked nervous and stood there for a moment.

“Anything else?” Sherlock asked.

He nodded, this time more slowly. “Amy said she was off to register the nuptials. I was wondering…”

“I’ll still need two witnesses,” he replied with a slight smile. He had taken the request to heart, and it was almost touching. “Amy can contact you with more information after she registers.”

He grinned at that. “All right. I’ll make the time.”

“Thank you,” Sherlock replied, and with that he left. He looked back at John. “What is that smile on your face for?”

“I do believe you’ve made a good friend out of him,” he replied.

“Friend?” he said, surprised.

“Yes, friend,” John said with a nod. “Now you have…what is it? Four? Me, the Doctor, Lorna and him.”

“Maybe more,” he replied quietly, thinking of Jack Harkness for a moment. He had stopped by once to visit and said he might come around again, but if he was needed the Doctor could find him. He might be good to have around. “I need my phone.”

John got up, went to a closet and pulled out a bag. Inside were all the belonging of Sherlock’s that would fit, and he saw his coat hanging up in the closet. He rifled through the bag and brought up his phone before bringing it over. “Who are you calling?”

“The Doctor. He gave me the number to contact him a long time ago. I didn’t think I’d actually have to use it.” He let it ring, but no one picked up and after a moment he hung up. “I was going to ask him to try and find Jack. Extra muscle wouldn’t hurt.”

“No, it wouldn’t,” John said. “But we’ll have to make do with what we have, I suppose.”

“Yes, I suppose so,” he murmured. “In the meantime, let’s go through everything we know and see if there’s anything we can make sense of.” He looked at John. “Or do you need to be somewhere?”

“I have time,” he replied.

“Good. Then let’s get started.”


	4. Chapter 4

Sherlock healed as well as was expected, though a minor infection had set in on his second day and he was given antibiotics as well as non-narcotic pain pills, and soon enough he was walking around a bit. He was in some pain as he did and was not pleasant to be around. Amy was there a lot, sometimes with Melody and Lorna and sometimes without. John was there frequently as well. Both of them learned that a confined Sherlock was not a nice person to be around, but they ignored the outbursts fairly well and managed to get him to calm down and remember he was still in pain.

He and Amy exchanged vows at the hospital, in the presence of John, Lorna, the Doctor, Lestrade and their daughter. Amy stayed more composed than he had thought she would, and while he had no trouble with the whole process he did marvel that even though he’d been an absolute horror while in the hospital she still wanted to marry him, and he knew then he was extremely lucky. They had gotten through her test with flying colors, apparently.

He was discharged seventeen days after the shooting. As he was getting ready to leave there was a knock at the room door. “Oh” was all he heard Amy say, and he turned to see Rory Williams standing in the doorway, nervously looking in. He knew this was the hospital Rory worked at, and he was honestly surprised it took him so long to come see him.

“Yes?” Sherlock asked, looking at him.

“I…I wanted to say thank you, in person. And I’m sorry as well, but mostly thank you,” he replied. He ran a hand through his hair and Sherlock could see a raw angry red mark on his arm, where the bullet had entered. “I don’t know what happened.”

“It’s all right,” Sherlock said. “I don’t think it will happen again.”

He nodded, and looked at Amy. “Heard you two got married yesterday. Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” she said with a smile. “I heard you’re engaged. Congratulations on that.”

He smiled at that. “Yeah. Thanks.” He paused. “I’m rather glad we didn’t get married. I don’t think it would have worked. I think we’re with the right people now.”

Amy nodded and stepped over to Sherlock, taking his hand. “I think so too,” she replied as she squeezed it. He tightened his grip as well. “You take care, all right?”

He nodded. “You two as well.” He turned then and left, and Amy squeezed Sherlock’s hand one more time before letting go.

“I thought that might have been harder for you,” he said as he got his scarf.

“I made my peace with it a while ago,” she replied. “If he hadn’t moved on it might have been harder. I’m glad he did. He deserves to be happy too.”

“And are you happy?” he asked.

She nodded, then went over and kissed him softly. “Very,” she said quietly as she pulled away, a smile on her face. Then she pointed to the wheelchair. He groaned. “You have to. They don’t want you hurting yourself.”

“I doubt I would hurt myself walking out of the hospital,” he said.

“It’s policy. But I’ll be nice and only make you stay in it till we get in the elevator.” She looked at him, and he sat down, and she pushed him out of the room and to the elevator. Once they got in the elevator she offered him her hand. He took it and he stood up. “The press is outside. Not just paparazzi. I didn’t think you’d want pictures of you in the wheelchair plastered all over the place.”

He nodded. “You are absolutely correct in that regard.” He didn’t let go of her hand, and when the elevator reached the lobby they walked out. He could see the horde near the door and he paused. “Should I say anything?”

“I wouldn’t,” she replied. After taking a deep breath they walked outside. Microphones were pushed towards them and people were asking questions jumbled altogether. He could tell the press from the paparazzi because the press was asking about the shooting and the paparazzi was asking if it was true that they had gotten married while he was in the hospital. Amy stopped once they’d gotten through and held up her left hand to wave. When the most sharp eyed photographer noticed she had on a wedding band the frenzy grew, but by then Sherlock had hailed a cab and they were getting in, and then they were off.

“You like baiting them, don’t you?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Sometimes,” she said with an amused grin. “Are we going to the Doctor now?”

He shook his head. “Home first. I need to pick up some things.”

“Such as?” she asked, curious.

“Clothes. The notes I had from the last time I had to deal with them. My gun.”

She chuckled slightly. “It’s all packed up and on the TARDIS already. John took care of it. He even included extra bullets.”

“You both know me too well,” he murmured. “Perhaps I should be worried.”

“Well, I’m your wife. I’m supposed to,” she said. “He’s your best mate, so it’s kind of to be expected.” He signaled the driver and gave him the address where they were to meet the Doctor and then he settled back into his seat. Amy took one of his hands and linked her fingers through his. “I know this is going to be dangerous. And I know it’s the only way to get them to stop. But I don’t like it.”

“I don’t like the idea of looking over my shoulder all the time,” he said. “Making a stand will ensure they leave us alone.”

“I know,” she said with a sigh. “I just worry. You’re still hurting, and I’m afraid you’ll just injure yourself more. And I’m going to be cooped up on the TARDIS with Melody the whole time while all of you go off and do what you need to do. All I’m going to do is worry about all of you.”

“You’ll keep occupied,” he replied.

“Just promise you’ll come back to me in one piece without bleeding,” she replied.

“I can’t promise that,” he said, shaking his head. “I can promise I will try, though. That will have to be enough.”

“I’ll take that, then,” she said, leaning her head on his shoulder. They stayed quiet the rest of the ride there, and when the cab parked John came over to them and opened the door. “Door to door escort service. I like this,” she said with a smile, hiding the worry Sherlock knew was still there.

“I always try and do the best for my friends,” he replied with a grin. Once they were out and the cab moved away, he led them down an alley to the TARDIS. John opened the door and went in first, followed by Amy and then Sherlock. Sherlock looked around and saw a few other familiar faces he hadn’t expected to see, and a slight smile crossed his face.

“We helped rescue her. Figured we should help take the Silence down a notch too,” Mickey said from over by the console. Martha was next to him, wearing a grin on her face and holding Melody. They had come by after he and Amy had settled back into his home and Amy and Martha had become fast friends. Amy went right up to her and gave her a hug before taking her daughter and then kissing Mickey’s cheek. “Besides, UNIT isn’t fond of the idea that someone’s trying to take down the Doctor. So we’re here in an official sort of capacity.”

“I’m just here because I like to consider myself a friend of the family,” Jack replied from behind Mickey. “I am, right?”

“Of course you are,” Amy said, going over to him and kissing his cheek. “Right, Sherlock?”

He nodded. “Yes, of course.” He went up to the two men and shook their hands, and Martha surprised him with a hug which was so quick he didn’t return it. He was glad to see them. Any help they could get was more than welcome.

“Greetings taken care of yet?” he heard the Doctor ask from underneath the console.

“More or less, yes,” Amy said. “Where is everyone going, anyway?”

“To 1969. To the White House, to be exact. We need to pay a visit to a Canton Everett Delaware III, during a meeting he’s having with the President.” He finished what he was doing and then came up to where everyone else was. “Mickey and Martha had more information about the aliens that the Silence works with. They managed to get one of the agents to talk before his eye patch self-destructed.”

“What did you learn?” Sherlock asked.

“Like we knew before, you only realize they’re there if you’re looking right at them,” Mickey said. “They’re tall, and look very much like what people would think a typical alien looks like, except they wear suits. They can manipulate electricity, and they’re also capable of erasing people’s memories and implanting suggestions.”

“We think that’s how they got Amy’s ex to go to your home,” Martha said. “We don’t know much more about them, though. We think that they might be harmed by weapons, but we’re not sure. None of us have seen them that we can remember, and none of us are that stupid to put an eye patch on to try.”

“Jack did some research as well,” the Doctor replied. “He had an idea, but we need help. Then Canton’s name came up and it all started to fall into a semblance of a plan.” He looked at Amy’s face, and the worry was plain on her face. “A real plan will form as soon as we get into that meeting,” he assured her.

“Who’s president at the time?” John asked.

“Nixon,” the Doctor and Jack chorused, both of them making faces. Martha giggled slightly, and Amy looked amused as well.

“How are we going to get into the meeting?” Sherlock asked.

“Easy. I’m going to land the TARDIS in the Oval Office, cloaked and silent.” He moved to some controls and suddenly a loud sound filled the room, and everyone covered their ears. “It’s okay, it’s supposed to do that,” he called over the noise. Then the controls sparked, and he jumped up a bit. “That, not so much.” Smoke began to fill the room, and the Doctor began herding everyone to the doors. “We’ve landed, but this isn’t how I wanted to make the entrance.”

Sherlock was closest to the door and he threw it open, and soon everyone filed into the room. Nixon was at his desk, a man on the other side of it was looking at them quizzically, and by the time the Doctor came out, shutting the doors behind him, the room was filled with Secret Service agents and smoke was billowing out of the TARDIS. Everyone except Amy raised their hands as the guns pointed in their direction. “Have a plan _now_?” Amy asked the Doctor quietly as Melody began to cry.

He nodded and stepped forward. “I can solve your problem, Mr. President.”

“How did you get in here?” Nixon asked, standing up.

“Sir, with all due respect, sit down,” the lead agent said, his gun training on the Doctor. Nixon sat down. “You could be a target.”

“He is a target, but not by me,” the Doctor replied. “Nor by any of my friends. There’s a little girl who calls you, at the same time every day. A direct call.”

“How did you know?” Nixon said.

“I can find her. And I can get rid of the threat. I just need him,” he said, motioning his head to the other man. “Canton Everett Delaware III. And I need your permission.”

“He’s still a threat,” the agent said.

Canton got up and looked at the Doctor. He purposefully walked into the line of fire. “Sir, this man landed a blue British police box here, which managed to hold…” He did a quick head count. “Eight adults and a baby. Clever.”

“Thank you,” the Doctor said. 

“And he knew about your problem. I’d give him a chance to explain the solution to your problem.”

“Sir, this is a clear and present danger!” the agent said.

“This man dropped a box in your office. He didn’t just carry it in,” Canton said, pointing at the Doctor. Then he pointed to the agent. “And he did it under his watch. I’d say only one of these men should be listened to. Give him five minutes.”

“Thank you again,” the Doctor replied.

“And if he doesn’t deliver I’ll shoot him myself,” Canton said.

“Not so many thanks for that,” the Doctor murmured.

Nixon thought about it a moment. “You have five minutes,” Nixon said.

“Sir!” the lead agent replied.

“He has five minutes,” Nixon said gruffly. “Stand down.”

The lead agent lowered his gun and the other agents did as well. Slowly everyone who came with the Doctor lowered their hands. “Right then,” the Doctor replied with a grin, rubbing his hands together. “I’ll need the following: a SWAT team ready to mobilize, maps of all the streets in Florida and a fez.”

The Doctor’s companions groaned at the last request. “A fez? Seriously?” Martha said.

“River shot the last two off his head, apparently,” Lorna said. “He’s been trying to get another one ever since Ancient Rome.”

“Get him the maps,” Canton said.

Within three minutes the maps were there. The Doctor spread them on the floor and began studying them. As he got to the last map the phone began to ring. “Answer it,” Canton told Nixon.

“This is it!” the Doctor replied as Nixon’s hand hovered over the phone. “The only place that call can be coming from. It’s the only place near NASA with those street names the little girl is talking about. Jefferson, Adams and Hamilton all intersect there.”

Nixon picked up the phone. “Hello?”

“The spaceman! It’s coming!”

“Need to fix the TARDIS,” the Doctor said, going back to the TARDIS. “There’s no way you’ll get the SWAT team there in time. We’ll handle it. Canton, you too. Come on, everybody. Mr. President, tell her help’s on the way.” He threw open the doors and a billow of smoke came out but otherwise the TARDIS seemed normal. Everyone filed in, including Canton, and pounding could be heard on the doors after he shut them.

“It’s…bigger. On the inside,” Canton said in awe.

“Yes, yes, I know, no time for gawking,” the Doctor replied. He went under the console, fiddled around with something, then jogged back up and started flipping switches, moving levers, and setting the course. “Little girl, here we come.”

“Lorna, could you hold Melody a moment?” Amy asked.

“Yes, of course,” she said, taking Melody from Amy.

“Doctor,” she said. He ignored her. She walked up to him and spun him around. “ _Doctor._ That little girl…is she going to go in that spacesuit?”

“You’re worried that it’s River,” he said.

“Yes. I thought the Silence doesn’t get her. I thought she has a childhood with us.”

“She does,” the Doctor said, placing his hands on her shoulders. “But yes, the little girl is River. One regeneration before River, actually. When she regenerates at twenty, she regresses, becomes a little girl, and the Silence kidnap her, and then River kills me.” Amy choked on a sob. “Sherlock!” he called out as he pulled Amy into a hug.

“Yes?” he said, coming over.

“Take your wife for a moment, and whatever you do, do not show yourself to the little girl. History must happen as you’ve seen it. If your daughter sees either of you before she regenerates into River everything could change.” He let go of Amy, and Sherlock took hold of her. “You need to make sure the little girl escapes,” he told everyone else. 

“I thought you said she kills you,” Jack replied, confused.

“She does, but it’s an older River. She escapes and hides from the Silence for years, living as River Song, and then they get her again.” He looked at the blank looks. “Timey wimey wibbly wobbly stuff.”

“Is that explanation supposed to make sense?” Canton asked.

“Yes,” Martha and Mickey said in unison.

“So we find the girl and help her escape,” John said. “And then what?”

The Doctor frowned. “Then her regeneration is triggered.”

“Yes, but _how_?” he asked.

“I don’t know. River didn’t tell me that part.”

“So my daughter’s going to roam around Florida as a little girl before she becomes River?” Amy asked, angry. “You know what will trigger a regeneration, right?”

“Yes,” the Doctor said. “I’ve been through ten of them.”

“Then trigger it,” she said through gritted teeth, pulling away from Sherlock.

He came back up to Amy. “She needs to be dying to trigger a regeneration,” he said gently. “Do you really want me to have her shot? Or stab her? Or cause her any other harm?”

“No,” she said quietly.

He framed her face in his hands. “I can’t go, either. Whatever the Silence did to her at birth is triggered now. She’ll want to kill me. The three of us will have to wait here for the others to find her and help her escape.” He kissed her forehead gently. “This is hard, I know. No parent should ever have to go through any of this.”

Amy went back to Sherlock and put her arms around him. He looked at the Doctor and nodded. He could see how this was all supposed to work, and he didn’t want any harm to come to his daughter any more than Amy did, but he could see there was no other way. “Have them do it,” he said finally.

The Doctor nodded in response. “You heard the man. Make sure she gets out. Canton, stay with us.” Then he moved over to Jack. “When she’s gone, bring everyone back. I’ll want to have a look around.”

“Got it,” he said with a nod, leading everyone out.

Lorna stayed behind until Amy pulled away from Sherlock and took Melody from her. She held her daughter close and whispered to her, sitting on the stool near the console. After hovering for a moment to make sure Amy was fine, Sherlock moved back over to the Doctor and Canton, who were seemingly waiting for him. “Why did you want me to hang back?” Canton asked.

“I think the aliens have a base nearby,” he said. “If they’re detaining her here then they’ll want to be close. I want to lure one of them out, and you two are the only ones with guns, unless John brought one as well. Didn’t ask him, probably should have. If we can wound one, perhaps we can get it to talk.” He paused. “I know I’m not the type of man to intentionally cause harm to another living creature. It goes against my code. But they want to kill me and I want to know why. We’ll search for them when the others have gotten River out.”

“Where are my things?” Sherlock asked.

“In your new room,” he replied. “I’ll show you.” The two of them walked down the corridor and were almost at the bend when they heard a boom, then Amy screaming and finally a gunshot. Quickly they turned around and ran back. The TARDIS doors had been blown in and were just barely attached to their hinges, and Amy was clutching Melody tightly as Canton aimed at something. They got to Amy and looked. “It blew the doors in and it was coming for us and I screamed,” Amy said as Sherlock held her close. “Canton saved us.”

“I do believe we’ve caught ourselves an alien working for the Silence,” the Doctor said. “Whatever you do, don’t look away. Sherlock, Amy. Does either of your phones record video?”

“Here,” Sherlock said, digging his out of his coat pocket.

“I’d like to ask it a few questions,” the Doctor replied. Without looking away, he and Sherlock came down to the main floor of the TARDIS. Sherlock set the video function of his phone to record. “What are you?”

“We are the Silent,” the alien said, its voice deep and slightly hollow sounding.

“So the religious movement is based on your race,” the Doctor said.

“Yes.”

“Why do you want me killed?”

“To prevent the first question being asked,” it replied. “Silence will fall when the question is asked.”

“What is the question?” the Doctor asked.

“I will not tell you.” The alien’s voice was getting weaker; whatever part of him Canton had hit, the injury had been severe, and would most likely prove fatal.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. “How long have you meddled with humanity?”

“We were around before fire, before the wheel,” the alien said. “We have influenced humanity since the first human walked the Earth.”

“It’s been a long time in the planning, eh?” the Doctor replied. “How do we stop you?”

“You should kill us all on sight.” It took a long breath. “But you do not…remember us when you look…away. We will cont…inue to fight you…Doctor. We will stop the…first…question.” 

“Sherlock, you can stop filming now,” the Doctor said with a small smile.

Sherlock stopped recording, then backed up the video. “He stays on the screen, Doctor,” he replied.

“Excellent news,” he replied. “I think my plan is now fully formed. I just need to do one more thing. But first, we’ll wait for everyone to come back.”

“Should I put it out of its misery?” Canton asked.

“No need,” the Doctor said. “It’s already dead.”

Amy came over to them, went to Canton and kissed him on the cheek. ”Thank you for saving us.”

He nodded. “Not a problem.”

She looked at Sherlock, then back at Canton. “When I have my son I’m going to name him Canton after you.” Sherlock nodded; the suggestion sounded fine to him.

“Thank you,” Canton said, and it looked as though he was blushing a little. Then he looked at Sherlock. “Help me dispose of this.”

Sherlock nodded, handing his phone to the Doctor and helping Canton haul the dead alien out of the TARDIS. It hurt him a bit, but not as badly as he’d expected. As they finished Jack came up with Lorna, Mickey and Martha. “Well?” Sherlock asked.

“John’s getting her out right now,” he said. “Or he was when we left him.”

“You left him?” Sherlock asked, surprised.

“He insisted,” Lorna said. “He said it would be easier for one person to sneak her out.”

“We need to tell you, though. She’s hurt,” Mickey said. “She’d clawed her way out of the suit by the time we got to her.”

“John checked her over but there wasn’t anything he could do,” Jack said. “She’s hurt badly enough that she’ll probably regenerate soon.”

“Very well,” Sherlock said.

“What happened to the doors?” Lorna asked.

“We had a visitor,” he replied. “I’m going off to search for John.” Then he looked at Canton. “Give me your gun. I don’t have time to get mine.”

Canton handed him his gun. “Here.”

“I’ll be back shortly. He went in the same direction you came from?”

“Yes,” Lorna said. “I’ll go with you.” Sherlock nodded, and the two of them set off. She led him back quickly, and it was evident that she’d had training as a soldier because she was always hunting for cover, however meager it was, and was always sticking to shadowy places. She spotted John before he did, and stopped. “Are those the aliens?” she asked.

Sherlock nodded, not taking his eyes off them. “Yes,” he replied. Two of them were advancing on John, who was on the ground, injured. He was trying to pull his gun out of his coat pocket. Sherlock aimed Canton’s gun at the head of the closest one and fired. He placed a second shot in the chest, then aimed for the head of the second and fired again. The aliens slumped to the ground, and Sherlock and Lorna went over to them. Sherlock added one shot to the forehead to each as Lorna helped John up. “Are you all right?” he asked, not looking at John but keeping his eyes on the aliens.

“Yeah. Just twisted my ankle a bit,” he replied. “Those are the aliens, yeah?”

“Yes,” Sherlock said. “One of them paid us a visit in the TARDIS.” He moved over to the two of them. “John, give me your gun. Make your way back quickly. I believe the Doctor has a plan.”

John handed him his gun and then leaned on Lorna to support his weight. They made it back as quickly as they were able, and found that the Doctor had jerry-rigged the doors to stay shut. They were opened to let them in, and then shut again once they’d entered. “Martha, look after John,” the Doctor said as he messed with the controls. “We need to go back to Nixon’s office, make one more trip and then come back here. Sherlock, I believe you’ll be able to stop the Silence once and for all when we’re done.” He landed the TARDIS and went to the doors. “Canton, come with me.” 

“All right,” Canton said.

The two men left, and several minutes later they came back. “Back to Florida, to NASA this time. Need to go make sure something extra goes up with the Apollo,” the Doctor said as he fiddled with the controls again.

“The video,” Sherlock said.

“Exactly. The moon landing is one of the most televised events in all of history, and every person watches it at least once. When I’m done, the Silence will have ordered their extermination.”

“Well played,” Mickey said approvingly, Sherlock having filled them all in on what happened while they were helping River escape.

The TARDIS landed, and the Doctor exited, once again with Canton. They were gone longer this time, and the doctor was apologizing profusely when they came back for getting caught, because the Doctor had insisted they wouldn’t. Finally they were off again and quickly landed in the same warehouse they’d been in before. “Sherlock, Canton, Jack. Come with me.” The Doctor picked up the portable screen off the console. “We need to find them.”

It wasn’t that hard to locate their lair, because they caught sight of a manhole being closed by someone in the sewer inside. They waited a few moments and went into the same manhole. Sherlock had gotten his gun from his things, and had given extra bullets to Canton. Jack had borrowed John’s gun. They pulled them out and followed the Doctor to a wide cavern with machinery in it. There were Silents grouped all around it. They stopped just outside the entrance. “Well?” Jack asked.

“Sherlock, you’re the one who needs to explain. This needs to come from you so they leave you alone,” the Doctor said. “I’m just here to show. You tell.”

Sherlock nodded and stepped through the entrance. The aliens all turned to look at him. “Sherlock Holmes,” one of them said.

“Ah, so you do know me,” he said. “Good. I’m here today to show you something. Presumably you’ve found the bodies of your kind that we killed. We will be doing much worse, us and other humans. You see this?” he said, gesturing to the machine the Doctor was holding. The Doctor set it in the center and turned it on. “While human eyes forget they’ve seen you, your kind still shows up on video. We included a special message to the moon landing.”

Neil Armstrong was seen on the screen, and just as he stepped foot on the moon, the alien who had broken into the TARDIS came on screen. It said “You should kill us all on sight” before the screen went back to Armstrong. The aliens started to stir.

“I am tired of the attempts on my family. I do not take kindly to your interference, and if using your own words to order your extermination is what is needed to keep my family safe, then so be it. I had warned you. I am serious.” The aliens started to move and attack, and then the shooting began; the three men with guns shot all the aliens they could before they ran out of bullets, leaving none alive. “I’d say this went well,” Sherlock said, checking his gun.

“Did there have to be so much noise with the shooting?” the Doctor asked, pulling his fingers out from his ears.

“Guns are just loud,” Canton said with a shrug. “Are we done here?”

“Yes. Yes, we are quite finished here,” the Doctor said. He looked at Sherlock. “You and your family should be safe now.”

“I hope so,” he replied. They left the alien lair and made their way back to the TARDIS. “It’s done,” Sherlock said as they all came back in.

“Good,” Mickey replied. “We’ll take what we learned back to UNIT. Hopefully this really will be the end of them.”

“Yes,” Sherlock said. Amy came up to him then, a small smile on her face. “I believe we’re safe now,” he said quietly.

“Good,” she said. She grabbed his scarf with her free hand and pulled him in for a kiss. When they were done she pulled away, a wistful expression on her face. “I hope Melody has regenerated by now. I just…I still don’t like the idea of her out there on her own.”

“Me either,” he said. “But she’s part Holmes and part Pond. She’ll manage.”

“Yeah, I know,” she said. Then she smiled a little more. “The Doctor offered to take us on a honeymoon. I was thinking it might be better than anything we could plan.”

“It could be interesting,” he said after thinking a moment.

“There’s this space cruise that’s supposed to be very nice,” she said. “Maybe we could do that?”

“I’ll let you make those decisions,” he said, and she laughed. “What?”

“I get the feeling I’m going to be the fun one and you’re going to be the boring one in the family.”

“As long as my family is whole and healthy I really don’t care how I’m perceived,” he replied.

“I know. That’s one of the reasons I love you. Space cruise it is, then.” She smiled at him, and he smiled back. It would take a little time for him to fully believe it, but for now his family was safe. That was enough.


	5. Chapter 5

They returned to London three weeks later. Lorna had told the Doctor that she wanted to remain in London and John had offered her the second room in his home until she could find a place of her own. Amy had told Sherlock in private that Lorna did not intend to look for another place. Sherlock thought it would be wise if they both kept that fact to themselves.

Amy was in the middle of planning the large reception the next evening when the Doctor and Jack paid them a visit. Jack had agreed to stay on with the Doctor until he could figure some things out for himself and until the Doctor picked up a new companion of his own choosing. Amy teased them for missing them so much they gave them one day alone before cooking a large meal for all of them. Now Jack was nursing a beer in the kitchen helping her while Sherlock and the Doctor sat in the living room with Melody. 

“Do you know why she picks the name River Song?” the Doctor said after a moment.

“No,” he replied.

“In Lorna’s language, there is no word for Pond, because the only water in the Gamma Forest is the river. And their word for Melody is song. The prayer leaf she gave your wife the day we rescued her had Melody’s name on it. If you look at it now it won’t have Lorna’s language on it. It will say River on one side and Song on the other. It’s from being in the vicinity of the TARDIS.”

“That’s interesting,” he said.

“She still has it,” he replied. “It was the one thing she kept when she regenerated the first time. So when it goes missing in twenty years, I wouldn’t worry.”

“I’ll try to remember that.” He took a sip of his water and looked at Melody, who was on the Doctor’s lap. “Is it strange seeing your future wife as a baby and then going home and seeing her as an adult?”

“Sometimes,” he admitted. ”It’s safe for me to see her now. For all intents and purposes, your daughter is completely normal right now, other than being able to remember everything. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if this conversation is why she takes the prayer leaf with her. I can ask her the next time I see her.”

“When will that be?”

“Soon. I don’t know how long we have together until fate changes its mind, so we try and see each other often. We’re going to have the wedding at the end of the month.”

Sherlock paused. “How does she die?” he asked. It had nagged at him that the Doctor knew and he did not.

He covered up Melody’s ears. “She sacrifices herself to save me and my companion, one regeneration back. She hooks herself up to a machine. I have her life-force on a disc, though. So in a way she’s still alive, and there is always a River on board the TARDIS.” He removed his hands. “And I bet she heard what I just said, and that’s why she does it.”

“Perhaps,” he said. “Or perhaps she truly loves you and doesn’t want to lose you.”

“Maybe,” he replied. “Do you want to know how you die?”

He shook his head. “It’s not wise to know too much about your own future.”

“Very true.” The Doctor was quiet for a moment. “There’s still this matter of the first question. It’s going to nag at me, irritate me to no end.”

“Me as well,” Sherlock replied. The Doctor looked at him. “It’s an interesting mystery, and you know how I feel about those.”

“It might be your downfall,” he said.

“Possibly,” he said. “But now that I’m relatively sure my family is safe, it wouldn’t hurt to help a friend with an interesting puzzle, when I’m not doing other things.”

“And am I really a friend?” the Doctor asked, surprised.

“Yes,” he said. “One of my few. Of course, in a month it’s a moot point since technically I’ll be your father-in-law.”

“Is Amy still taking it hard that she’s going to be a mother-in-law while her daughter’s still a baby?”

“Not as much as she did the night of the party, but I think it makes her have a hard time sleeping.” He smiled slightly. “She’s accepted it now. But don’t call her Mum. And don’t even think of calling me Dad, or any variation of it.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he replied with a smile. “Are you happy with this strange life you’ve chosen?”

He looked at Amy, who caught his eyes and gave him a huge smile and wave before laughing at something Jack said. He thought of his life before her, of how the only thing that had given him satisfaction was solving impossible puzzles. Doing that had _only_ given satisfaction, never happiness. He then glanced at his daughter, and realized that even though he would lose her she was still there, and he got to see what a brilliant woman she would become. “Yes,” he said finally. “I am happy with this life.”

“Then I’m glad I lost Amy that rainy afternoon,” he said with a grin. “I think everything turned out well, in the end.”

“Yes,” Sherlock agreed with a nod. “Yes, it has.”


End file.
